Lara's Secret
by LaraKatts
Summary: I do not own the Harry Potter characters, they belong to J.K., all oc is mine. Chapter 4 up! Please R
1. The Letter

Chapter One:  
  
The Letter  
  
Lara Katts rolled onto her back smiling; she just had the most wonderful dream about flying over London in the cloud filled sky. Lara always loved these dreams, for she, in real life, was finally able to on her own, no plane, no broomstick, just her very own wings. You see Lara is no ordinary girl; she is, in fact, a witch, a witch that could turn herself into a Robin. In a few days she would be returning to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she got the idea for turning herself into a Robin from her Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall.  
"Lara" came her mother's voice, "Lara dear, breakfast will be ready in five menits!"  
"Okay mum, I'll be right down." Lara yelled back  
She got out of bed and started over toward her wardrobe when she heard a pecking on her bedroom window, she looked over and saw a snow white owl with a letter tied to it's leg. Lara walked over to her window, opened it, and let the owl in, which landed on her bed.  
"I was wondering when you where going to get here, I've been waiting for that letter." Lara said as she went to her bathroom to the owl some water.  
She sat down and untied the letter from the owls leg, it was a yellowish parchment addressed in green ink to:  
  
Miss L. Katts  
8 Roseburg Drive  
Godric Hollow  
London  
Lara opened the envelope and found a letter inside. The owl gave a soft hoot of thanks and flew out the opened window as Lara began to read her letter:  
  
Dear Miss Katts Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross Station, platform nine and  
three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.  
A list of schoolbooks is enclosed.  
  
Yours sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall  
Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress  
  
Seventh-Year Students will Require:  
  
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7  
By Miranda Goshawk  
  
Advanced Transfiguration  
By Emric Switch  
  
Dark Forces: An Advanced Guide to Self-Protection  
By Quentin Trimble  
  
Advanced Magical Drafts and Potions  
By Arsenius Jigger  
  
After Lara finished reading her letter she put on a pair of blue jeans, a purple (her favorite colour) shirt and some snickers, put the letter in her pocket and went down stairs for breakfast where she was greeted by the wonderful smell of pancakes.  
"Morning mum, dad" Lara said as she entered the kitchen  
"Morning honey" said her mum, Joanna, putting pancakes on the table  
"Morning dear" said her dad, Peter, behind his newspaper  
"Morning Suzie" Lara said to her eleven year old sister  
"Morning, guess what everyone?!" Suzie said jumping up and down  
"I don't know, what?" said Mrs. Katts  
"I just got my Hogwarts letter!!!!"  
"I knew you would!!"  
"Yeah, now we can go to Diagon Alley together!" Lara said  
"You're talking like I've never been to Diagon Alley."  
"You haven't not for schoolbooks and parchment and robes and, this is going to be so much fun!!"  
"Tell you what," said Mrs. Katts "I'll talk to Mrs. Weasley and see if we all can go to Diagon Alley tomorrow? What do you say?"  
"Awesome," said Suzie "I'll get to shop with Ginny!!"  
"Maybe I'll run into Oliver while I'm there." Lara said in a day-dreamy voice, you see, Lara has a huge crush on Olive Wood, The Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.  
"Oh Oliver," Suzie mocked "I want to kiss you and hug you and-"  
"Suzie,"  
"Yeah?"  
"Run!" 


	2. The Borrow

Chapter Two:  
  
Picture property of harrypotter.com  
  
The Burrow  
  
The next day after breakfast, Lara, Suzie and Mrs. Katts, got in their lime green Volkswagen Beetle and started off towards the Weasley's home, also known as The Burrow.  
"So, what house do you think I'll get into?" Suzie asked Lara "Which ones the best?"  
"Well, Gryffindor is for those who are brave, Ravenclaw is for those who are smart, Slytherin is for the pure-bloods, nasty lot really, and Huffelpuff is for the just and loyal."  
"So, which one?"  
"Most likely Gryffindor, I'm only saying that because of the Weasley's, all nine of them were and still are in Gryffindor. But as long as you're not put in Slytherin house, I'll still act like I know you." Lara said, a smile cracking on her face.  
The girls talked back and forth about the Hogwarts Houses until they got to The Burrow.  
"Alright, girls, we're here." Said Mrs. Katts. Suzie looked out at the Weasley's home for the very first time.  
It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic (which, Suzie reminded herself, it probably was). Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign read, THE BURROW. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat chickens were pecking their way around the yard.  
"Wow! Look at this place. It's so cool." Suzie said as they got out of the car. Mrs. Weasley was making her way across the yard, scattering chickens, Mrs. Katts, Lara and Suzie went to meet her half way. Lara hugged Mrs. Weasley.  
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley. How are you?"  
"Just fine, dear. Fred, George and Ginny are waiting for you too inside." Mrs. Weasley said as Lara and Suzie ran inside.  
"And how are you doing?"  
"Oh, just fine. How about you?" Mrs. Katts said as they entered the Burrow.  
"Oh, I'm fine as well."  
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~  
  
"Come on, Suzie, this way." Lara said taking Suzie to Ginny's room. "Here we are." They had reached Ginny's room. Lara knocked three times and Ginny opened the door.  
"Hello, Suzie, Lara."  
"Hi, Ginny. Your brothers in their room?"  
"Yes, do you remember where it is?"  
"Yes." Lara left Ginny and Suzie to talk and went to Fred and George's room; it was the next floor up. When Lara got there she knocked twice and Fred opened the door.  
"Hey, Lara! Look George, Lara's here!" George came to the door  
"Well, we were wondering when you were going to get here!"  
"Well, I'm here! You gonna let me in or make me stand out in the hallway the whole time I here?"  
"I don't know. What do you think, Fred, should we let her in?"  
"I don't know George." Fred thought for a moment "Nah, she'll be fine out here." He said and they started walking back in their room.  
"Well, if you don't let me in I'll never talk to either of you again!" Lara said, trying to keep a straight face.  
"I think we ought to let her in, George"  
  
"Yeah, maybe we should let her in, Fred" they stepped aside and bowed Lara in.  
"Thank you, boys." Lara said as she entered the room.  
The twins room was very messy and looked as if a tornado had just come through.  
"Sorry about the mess." Fred said  
"Yeah, we were just working on a few new things."  
"Like what?" Lara asked  
"Like our new Extendable Ears." Fred said, picking something that looked like flesh-colored string and showing it to Lara. "See all you have to do is stick this end in your ear," Fred showed her the thin side that looked like string. "Like so." He said sticking it in his own ear. "And say, 'Go'." Lara watched as the flesh-colored string wriggled like long skinny worms, then snaked under the door.  
"That's amazing!" Lara said as she watched "What else do you got?"  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~  
  
A half an hour latter Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Katts gathered up all the kids and when they were all in front of the fireplace Mrs. Weasley took a flowerpot off the kitchen mantelpiece and said  
"Guest first! After you, Lara dear! .Wait a second, Where's Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley said as she left to find Ginny.  
"We haven't traveled by Floo Powder before." Lara told George  
"That's okay, it isn't hard. All you do is take a pinch of Floo Powder, step up to the fire, throw the powder in, and say, very clearly, where you're going." Said George "Fred why don't you go first and show them how it's done."  
"Okay, like this." Fred said taking a pinch of Floo Powder, stepped up to the fire, and threw the powder into the flames.  
With a roar, the fire turned emerald green and rose higher than Fred, who stepped into the flames and shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and vanished.  
"You must speak very clearly, keep your elbows tucked in and your eyes shut." George said as Lara took a pinch of Floo Powder and stepped up to the edge of the fire. She took a deep breath and scattered the powder into the flames, and stepped into them; the fire felt like a warm breeze, she shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and was wiped away.  
It felt as though she had been sucked down a drain. She seemed to be spinning very fast ---- the roar in her ears was deafening ---- she tried to keep her eyes but the green whirling flames made her feel sick ---- now it felt as if cold hands were slapping her in the face ---- she opened he eyes again and saw a blurred stream of fireplaces and got glimpses of the rooms beyond ---- now feeling even more sick then she did before, she closed her eyes and wished it would all stop, then ----  
She fell, face forward, into Fred, knocking them both to the ground. Covered in soot, she put her hand over her mouth, feeling extremely sick and looked around. She saw that they were in the Leaky Cauldron then she spotted what she was looking for, a bathroom.  
"You all right?" Fred called after her as she ran to the bathroom to threw up. 


	3. Diagon Alley

Chapter Three:  
  
Diagon Alley  
  
After waiting for Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Katts, Suzie, Ginny, George and Ron to come out of the fireplace they headed out the back of the Leaky Cauldron. Mr. Weasley went over to the trashcan and started counting bricks in the wall above.  
"Three up.two across." he muttered. "Right, you all better stand back."  
He tapped the wall three times with the point of his wand.  
The brick he tapped started to quiver ---- it started to wriggle ---- in the middle of the brick a small hole appeared ---- it grew wider and wider ---- the next second it had become an archway large enough for them to walk through.  
"Diagon Alley!" Mr. Weasley said  
They all walked through the archway. Suzie looked back at the archway and saw it shrink back into a solid brick wall.  
She looked up and saw a sign hanging over them, it said, Cauldrons ---- All Sizes --- Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver ---- Self-Stirring ---- Collapsible, Suzie looked down and saw a stack of cauldrons sitting outside the shop, the sun shining off them.  
"You'll be needing one of those," Lara said to Suzie, "but we need to get some money first."  
Suzie looked around at the shops while they were walking; She looked in the windows at an Apothecary and saw some bottles of Dragon Liver. Suzie heard a low, soft hoot and saw it was coming from a dark shop with a sign above it saying, Eeylops Owl Emporium ---- Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy. A little farther down she saw some broomsticks in a window "That's the Firebolt, it came out only last year!" she heard a boy about her age say. There were other shops selling robes, telescopes and strange silver instruments Suzie had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon..  
"Suzie, this is Gringotts," Lara said  
They had arrived at a snowy white building that towered over the other shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was ----  
"Is that what I think it is?" Suzie asked Lara. "Yes, Suzie, that's a goblin." Lara said at the look on her sister's face. They walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Suzie. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Suzie noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, this time they were silver, with words engraved upon them:  
  
Enter, stranger, but take heed  
Of what awaits the sin of greed,  
For those who take, but do not earn,  
Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
So if you seek beneath our floors  
A treasure that was never yours,  
Thief, you have been warned, beware  
Of finding more than treasure there.  
  
A pair of goblins bowed them through the sliver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones though eyeglasses. There where too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Mrs. Katts and all the kids made their way for an empty counter.  
"Morning," Mr. Weasley said to a free goblin. "We've come to take money out of our safe." "And," said Mrs. Katts stepping forward, "I would like to exchange some Muggle money, please."  
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~  
  
After they got their money and left the bank, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave some gold to each of their children and Mrs. Katts gave some gold to Lara. Ginny and Suzie headed to Madam Malkin's to get Suzie's robes. Ron went to look for his best friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Lara and the twins headed for the joke shop and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Katts went and walked around Diagon Alley till they were all to meet in one hour at Flourish and Blotts Bookstore.  
After visiting the joke shop where Fred and George got some Fake wands and Filibuster fireworks they went to the next shop and got quills, parchment and ink bottles. Then it was off to the Apothecary so Lara could replenish her potion supply.  
"Honestly, Lara, I don't know why your still taking Potions." George said as they left the Apothecary.  
"Yeah, didn't you get the memo? You can drop Potions class now." Fred added.  
"Yes, I know I can drop Potions class. But I happen to like making them." Lara said, "Besides," she added quickly, "What if you guys make a mistake in one of your candies? Like get boils or something? I can make a potion to cure you two and add a little bit of the potion into the candy."  
"Good point." George said  
"But you know that will never happen." Fred said and Lara couldn't help but smile at him.  
Next they went to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor where Lara bought them each an ice cream. Then they went and looked in Quality Quidditch Supplies before they had to go to Flourish and Blotts Bookstore.  
Upon entering Flourish and Blotts where the shelves where stacked to the ceiling with books of all shapes and sizes, some as small as postage stamps and some as big as a door, there were also books with weird symbols in them and a few books with nothing in them at all. Soon they found their parents and siblings, Suzie had here robes, parchment, inkbottles, quills, cauldron, potion ingredients, scales and a collapsible brass telescope.  
"There you three are." Mrs. Weasley said when she saw them, "Well, don't just stand there, go and get your books."  
All three of them picked up a copy of Advanced Transfiguration By Emric Switch, The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7 By Miranda Goshawk and Dark Forces: An Advanced Guide to Self-Protection By Quentin Trimble then Lara picked up her copy of Advanced Magical Drafts and Potions By Arsenius Jigger. Then she saw a book she had been wanting since her first year called, Curses and Counter-curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Muck More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian. She picked up a copy of this book too. After they had paid for all their books Lara, Suzie and Mrs. Katts went to Ollivanders Wand Shop as the Weasleys went to the Leaky Cauldron to wait for them.  
As they approached Ollivanders, Suzie looked and the narrow and shabby shop with peeling gold letters over the door that read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. Then Suzie looked in the dusty window and saw a single wand lying on a faded purple cushion.  
A bell rang as they stepped inside. Suzie looked at the tiny place and saw thousands of narrow little boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling.  
"Good afternoon," a soft voice said, making Lara jump and Suzie let out a small scream.  
A very old man was standing in front of them, his wide, pale eyes shining at them like orbs.  
"Hello, Mr. Ollivander." Lara said shaking the old mans hand.  
"Hello, Ms. Katts, if I remember correctly, and I always do, your wand is beech-wood and dragon heartstring, nine inches, nice and flexible."  
"Yes, Mr. Ollivander, that's my wand!" Lara said smiling.  
"How did you do that? How did you remember her wand like that? She got her wand seven years ago!" Suzie said in awe.  
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, for instant, Rubeus Hagrid," Mr. Ollivander said  
"He bought his wand over fifty years ago." Lara whispered to Suzie  
"His wand was oak, sixteen inches and rather bendy. And Tom Riddle,"  
Lara looked extremely shocked at the minion of Tom Riddle's name, she never told her mum or Suzie what had happened in her fourth year when Tom Riddle a.k.a. Voldermort, possessed Ginny Weasley and made her open the Chamber of secrets.  
"His wand was thirteen-and-a-half inches, yew, phoenix feather, very powerful wand. Now lets see what kind of wand works best with you." He said pulling a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket, "Which is your wand arm."  
"He means which arm you write with." Lara said at the confused look on her sister's face.  
"Oh. My right arm Mr. Ollivander."  
"Hold out your arm." He measured Suzie from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Ms. Katts. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstring of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."  
Lara smiled remembering when he had said the exacted same thing to her seven years ago.  
Suzie's eyes got wide as she suddenly that the tape measure, which was measuring the space between her ear and nose, was doing this on it's own. Mr. Ollivander was down one of the rows of wands on a stool, taking down boxes.  
"That will do," he said, and the tape measure fell to the floor. Right then, Ms. Katts. Try this one. Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Just take it and give it a wave."  
Suzie took the wand and waved it, she had barely done this when Mr. Ollivander grabbed the wand back.  
"Willow and unicorn hair. Ten and a quarter inches. Swishy. Try-"  
Suzie tried, but had it to, snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.  
"Mahogany and dragon heartstring. Eleven inches. Pliable. Go on."  
Suzie took that wand and waved it around, but Mr. Ollivander just took away the wand again.  
"Ebony and unicorn hair. Eight and a half inches. Springy."  
Suzie took the wand. She felt a sudden warmth go to her fingers. She raised the wand and swished it through the dusty air and a stream of pink and purple swirled together until it looked like the room was painted tye- die. Mrs. Katts and Lara started to cheer and clap their hands and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good!"  
Mr. Ollivander put Suzie's wand back in the box and wrapped it in brown paper. Mrs. Katts paid seven gold Galleons for Suzie's wand and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.  
When they got to the Leaky Cauldron, the Weasleys were all there, talking and laughing. Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were also there. They all sat down and had diner before heading back to the Burrow. 


	4. The Hogwarts Express

Chapter Four:  
The Hogwarts Express  
  
On July 31st Lara and Suzie went and stayed at The Burrow. Harry and Hermione were also there and, since it was Harry's birthday, they had a Birthday Party, with chocolate cake and ice cream. When everyone had their cake and ice cream, and Harry had opened his birthday gifts, it was almost midnight. Lara, Suzie, and Hermione slept in Ginny's room on the second floor and Harry slept in Ron's room on the top floor.  
The girls stayed up and talked about boys, school, boys, books, and boys. At one o'clock, Mrs. Weasley came in and told them they had better get to bed. After saying goodnight, the girls closed their eyes and immediately fell asleep.  
The next morning, Mrs. Weasley tried to wake the girls up, but they were so tired from their late night talk that they just went back to sleep. After the third time, trying to wake them up, Mrs. Weasley told Fred and George to wake them up, since she still had things to do before they left for platform 9 and ¾. Mrs. Weasley thought that Fred and George would wake the girls in a 'normal' way, but 'normal' wasn't a word Fred or George had ever learned. So, of course, they had decided to use dung bombs and water balloons to wake the girls up. Even though Lara was their friend, they couldn't pass up the chance to play a prank.  
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"  
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"  
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! FRED, GEORGE I'M GONNA HURT YOU SO BAD!" Mrs. Weasley heard the screams of the girls who had just gotten dung bombed and water ballooned. Next thing she knew, Fred and George were running down the stairs, though the kitchen and out the back door, followed by three girls in wet pajamas with dung bombs in their hair, she smiled and hoped that Fred and George could out run the girls, who looked on the verge of murder, it would be a shame to have to send them back to school in pieces.  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~  
When they got to Kings Cross Station, everyone went through the barrier in pairs, Harry and Ron, Ginny and Suzie, Hermione and Lara, Fred and George, and Mr. And Mrs. Weasley.  
The kids put their trunks on the train and went to say goodbye to Mr. And Mrs. Weasley.  
"Fred, George, be good at school." Mrs. Weasley said to the two boys, "I don't want another letter this year, nor do we need anymore toilet seats."  
"Okay, mum." Fred said.  
"We'll be good." George said, putting his hand behind his back and crossing his fingers.  
"Lara, please try and keep an eye on them." Mrs. Weasley said, now looking at Lara.  
"Yes, ma'am, I'll try." Lara answered, also putting her hand behind her back and crossing her fingers.  
"Oh, good! Now all of you better get on the train." Mrs. Weasley said, kissing everyone on the cheek and hugging them all.  
When they got on the train, Lara went with Fred and George to their compartment and Suzie went with Ginny to her compartment.  
They played exploding snap until about half past twelve, when their compartment door slid open and a smiling, dimpled woman said  
"Anything off the cart, dears?"  
They all jumped at the trolley, each getting some Chocolate Frogs, Licorice Wands and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. After paying for the candy, the dimpled woman left and they sat back down to eat their candy.  
"Hey, George, try this gray one." Fred said, handing George an Every Flavor Bean.  
"No way! Last time I tried a bean you gave me, it was boogie flavored!" George shoved his brother's hand away. "Give it to Lara."  
"Alright, here."  
Lara took the bean and look at it, she then smelled it. There was really no smell to it, so she took a small bite of it. She started to cough and gag then spit out the bean.  
"Lara? You okay?" Fred asked, looking concerned.  
"I'm fine."  
"So, what flavor was it, Lar?" George asked.  
"Pepper."  
Afterwards they played wizards chess until the train arrived at Hogmead Station.  
When the train stopped, they got off and went to the horseless stagecoaches. When they got on, they saw they were going to have to share a stagecoach with none other than Draco Malfoy and his goons, Crabbe and Goyle.  
"Oh, great!" Lara muttered, sitting between Fred and George.  
Draco gave the three of them a glair that could kill, but Lara, Fred and George just looked at him, they were two years older and way taller then him.  
"Get out!" he said, as evil and mean like as he could. But just at that moment the door shut and locked, getting ready to leave.  
"To late, Malfoy. The door is shut and locked." Lara said as the stagecoach began to move, "And it's moving. So unless you'd like to jump out of a moving stagecoach, shut up."  
"Nobody tells a Malfoy to 'shut up'!" Draco said as Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles.  
"Right, whatever." She said and looked out Fred's window.  
The rest of the ride was spent in silence. Every now and then Malfoy, Crabbe of Goyle would glair at Lara, Fred and George. And vice-versa.  
As soon as the stagecoach stopped, the door unlocked and flung open, Malfoy and his goons left, then Fred, who helped Lara out, and George. The three started their way up the stairs to Hogwarts. 


End file.
